Secret Spilled
by RobertDowneyJrLove
Summary: Set During 'The Cry of the Wolf'. It picks up when Melissa realizes what's wrong with Eric and continues on after she leaves the tent. Based on the idea that Jackson chased after her. I own nothing!


_"We all ate the oysters but only Eric got sick; I've been there before." _

With a startled gasp of realization, she snatched the water bottle from Nathan and pushed her way into the tent. Her previous anger at the blonde boy on the floor of the tent dissolved as she dropped to her knees and went into protective mother-hen mode; "Tell me how you feel."

"My throat's tight." His thick voice was metallic and slightly whiny.

"Check his skin." Melissa told Daley, already reaching for Eric's shirt.

"What?"

"His skin," Melissa yanked his shirt up, revealing Eric's hive covered abdomen.

"Hives!" Nathan cried in recognition; his brain registering the identity of the nasty rash on his friend-enemy's abdomen. He'll be the first to admit, he's better friends with Jackson than he is with Eric but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel sorry for the poor guy.

"He's not sick, he's allergic." Melissa told him, pushing his shirt back down. "My cousin almost died from an allergic reaction."

"What do we do for it?" Daley asked the girl; admittedly she's never really cared for Melissa that much - the girl seemed too naive sometimes - but she's more concerned about Eric's health and if Melissa can help him than her own feelings about the Asian girl.

"The first-aid kit, maybe there's something..." Melissa doesn't even finish her sentence before Nathan busted out of the tent at break-neck speed.

Always the quiet one of the group, Jackson just watched as Melissa took over what usually would have been Daley's area of expertise. The roles of everyone in the tent shifted and without a word of protest, Daley stepped back and let Melissa take over. The Asian girl was only sixteen as far as he knew but she seemed to be unusually aware of how to handle first-aid emergencies. It made him wonder if she had any sort of training.

"What's happening?" Eric breathed, squirming restlessly in an effort to get comfortable when Melissa gently pressed a cold, wet bandana to his forehead.

"It's okay, it's an allergic reaction, it won't last." The words hadn't even left Melissa's mouth when Jackson shared a look with Daley who just shrugged as if not knowing whether or not what Melissa had just said held any truth.

"What do we need?" Nathan busted through the opening of the tent and passed the bag off to Daley who rifled through it until she found what she was looking for.

"Well what happened to your cousin?" Jackson asked her, trying to more information out of her.

"It was from a bee sting but it was all the same symptoms," Melissa's eyes darkened in memory of that fateful day. "Rash, cramps, trouble breathing."

"Yes, that's it anaphylaxis, a strong allergic reaction." Daley regurgitated information that Melissa had already given them.

"What do we do for it?" Nathan gasped breathlessly.

"Adrenaline!" Melissa cried, her eyes widening as more memories of that day crashed in on her. "He had an injector. I watched my aunt give it to him!"

"Adrenaline! Ah do we have that?" Daley stumbled through the first-aid kit, blindly looking for something without really knowing what it was.

Jackson watched Melissa lean over Daley's knees and dig through the bag, clearly knowing better than the redhead what the adrenaline injector looked it. The exasperation was not missed by any of them. Her victorious cry as she pulled a plastic tube from the bag and pushed it away seemed too good to be true; "Yes! Here!"

"Well how does it work?" Jackson asked her cautiously, a little scared of the large plastic tube in her hand.

"It's a spring loaded needle with a dose." Melissa told him without hesitation or fear.

"Spring loaded needle? That's like serious!" Nathan panted, his eyes widening in fear of what that spring loaded needle could do if they had to use it. "Are you sure?"

They had no time to argue before Eric stilled, losing consciousness again. Daley shook him awake as she got their attention away from the needle in Melissa's hand; "Whoa, guys, guys, he's passed out!"

"Is he breathing?" Jackson leaned his head down closer to Eric and listened for the whisper of sound that indicated that the boy was in fact breathing.

"Somebody do something!" Nathan urged them.

They barely had time to argue about what needed to be done when Melissa ripped the lid off of the tube and dumped the injector out. With a cringe and slight whimper at what she was about to do, she jabbed the spring loaded needle into Eric's thigh. She pulled it out and rubbed hard circles at the injection sight. Everybody went silent; almost as if Melissa had stabbed all conversation when she had stabbed Eric's leg. Nathan and Jackson took up post at the opening of the tent, both of them looking very broody with their arms crossed over their chest. Daley and Melissa stayed by Eric, keeping him cool with a soaking wet bandana.

"Was that a dream - " Eric groaned, tossing his head from side to side before finally fixing Melissa with his sleepy gaze. "Or did you just stab me in the freaking leg?"

The tension broke and they all chuckled, except for Melissa who just held out a small foil package to Daley with instructions; "Give him these antihistamines, the adrenaline doesn't last long."

With Eric in Daley's hands as far as any further treatment went, Melissa got up and scurried out of the tent without another word. Upon seeing Eric's confused look, Jackson scoffed and clarified Melissa's anger; "Dude, she just saved your life."

Eric collapsed back against the backpack, defeated while Jackson clapped Nathan on the shoulder before taking off after Melissa. She wasn't hard to find. The girl was nothing if not somewhat predictable. He wasn't the least bit surprised to find her by the fire finishing up her chores for the day. She filtered water faster than Eric could lug it, which in all actuality might not have been saying much considering it took Eric an hour to lug one thing of water.

"Hey," Jackson greeted quietly.

"Hey."

"You know," Jackson started, taking a seat next to her on the log. "You saved him back there."

"No I didn't." Melissa shook her head, blushing a deep scarlett. He knows that because she's not one to let her ego get too big, she'll never admit that she just saved Eric's life - even though that's something he won't be letting Eric forget any time soon. Melissa is much too modest to admit she saved his life - something they both know she'll probably have to do many more times in the future for however long they're stuck on this God-forsaken island.

"Modest." Jackson bumped her shoulder with his own, watching with a half-grin as she blushed a little more. "Why won't you admit that you saved his life?"

"Because it was an allergic reaction," Melissa told him, dropping a now empty water container on the sand next to her as she put the now filtered water into the can to boil. "Basic first-aid."

"Daley couldn't have done it, she was too hysterical. Nathan couldn't have done it. He was having his own...issues. Why is he in a skirt, anyway?" Jackson furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he leaned into her and tilted his head, "And I know I couldn't have done that."

"Nathan made the mistake of not changing out of wet shorts yesterday." Melissa giggled nudging him. "I didn't tell you that. He'll kill me."

Jackson couldn't help but laugh and cringe slightly as the realization dawned on him as to the location of Nathan's rash. "Um. Too much."

"Sorry." Melissa giggled sweetly, "Don't ask if you don't want to know."

"Seriously, though, Mel. You saved Eric's life back there." Jackson reminded her again. Her brown eyes darkened and her posture changed. He could almost see the muscles in her back clench, tensing at the mention of his name. It wasn't a knee-jerk reaction. This was something that had just started. It was only when her movements became almost cold and calculated did he figure out something had happened between her and Eric. "Mel."

"I don't want to talk about it, Jackson." Melissa shook her head, brushing her long hair out of her face exasperatedly.

"Melissa - "

"I'm sick of Eric, alright?" Melissa sighed angrily, swiping at her hair again. That one freaking strand would not stay where she put it.

"Why?" Jackson reached over and tucked the strand of hair behind her ear. "What happened between you and Eric?"

"He's a jerk." Melissa told him flatly, before launching into a rant - something that Jackson had never heard her do. "A babied, black-mailing, idiotic jerk who couldn't mind his own business if it came up and slapped him in the face."

"Why?" Jackson drawled succinctly.

"I thought video diaries were supposed to be a private thing?" Melissa pinned him with an accusing glare as if whatever had happened between her and Eric was his fault.

"Uh, th-they are." Jackson stuttered, shocked by her sudden question. "Mel, what's going on?"

"I was taping an entry yesterday and Eric eavesdropped. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, but he heard a secret of mine." Melissa flushed a dark red at the very thought of the secret that Eric had over-heard her tell. A secret that the blue-eyed boy in front of her could never know. A secret she could never tell. "He blackmailed me. The only way to keep him quiet was to do what he asked."

"Which is why you've been doing twice the work." Jackson nodded in realization, sighing as he looked over at her, trying to meet her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have shut him up, myself."

"Because my secret involves you." Melissa blurted out before her brain could really register what was tumbling out of her mouth.

"Oh."

Melissa cringed as she registered what had just spilled out of her mouth; "Crap. Did I just say that?"

"Um. Yea. Yea, you...you did." Jackson fumbled over what to say next. "Mel. Listen if you don't - "

"Don't what? Want to tell you I don't have too?" Melissa asked him sarcastically. "Yes, because that would work out so well for us."

"Melissa..." Jackson trailed off, watching as she scooped up two of the empty water containers and started off toward the well. "Melissa!"

"You want to know what the secret was?" Melissa cried, whirling around to face him, the water containers flailing against her legs. "You really want to know?"

"Well Mel.."

"I have a crush on you." Melissa finally broke down and spilled her secret, not even bothering to hide her blush or the tears stinging her eyes. "That's why Eric was blackmailing me. I didn't want to tell you and I didn't want him telling you so I went along with it to keep him quiet. I have a crush on you and I don't know really know what I'm supposed to do about it."

Well that threw him for a loop - and explained Eric's odd sort laugh-cackle whenever they bumped into each other. His thought process jumped from wanting to kill Eric - more than he already did - and wanting to pin Melissa to the nearest tree and kiss her senseless. The girl had an endearing quality about her. He wasn't sure if it was those almond shaped dark eyes, that long dark hair or maybe it was just everything about the girl but he couldn't stop the feelings he had developed for her.

"Jackson?" Melissa's hesitant voice broke his reverie and when he met her gaze, he can't stand the sight of the tears sliding down her cheeks. "Look I understand if you don't feel the same way. You don't - umph!"

His lips cut her off and empty plastic containers drop to the ground. Her vision blurs as his mouth moves against hers roughly, encouraging her to become a willing participant in it, which she gladly does. She can feel his hands on her face and his fingers threaded in her hair. His shoulders are drawn up slightly and he's leaning forward in such a manner that bends her backward slightly. She smiled against his mouth as her long fingers wrapped around his wrists, holding his hands in place.

"I do." He breathed when they pulled away for oxygen. A slightly gentler kiss followed and another breathy; "I do feel the same way."

"You do?"

"Yes." Jackson nodded, barely able to pull away from her for more than second. He's already tasted enough of her full lips to be addicted to the way she tasted. He wanted more of her; a lot more of her. "Absolutely. Yes!"

"I don't...um...wow!" Melissa breathed, barely able to register the last few seconds.

Jackson pressed his lips against hers again. It was longer and slower this time but it still managed to suck the air from her lungs. She released his wrists and reached up to take his face into her hands, pulling him down more. They only pull away when oxygen became a necessity. He brushed the tears away and leaned his forehead against hers, his heavy breaths mixing with her own as their eyes met - lust darkened and glassy with need.

"You should have just let Eric tell me, could have saved us the trouble." Jackson laughed softly. "And saved you a lot of work."

Melissa doesn't bother voicing her agreement. The way she figured it, the mindblowing kiss that followed spoke louder than anything she could have said to indicate she agreed with him. Later she'd have to thank Eric for threatening to spill her secret. After all it had given her the courage to tell Jackson herself and had led to some mindblowing kisses. That didn't mean she wouldn't be finding a different, more private place to film future diary entries.

One spilled secret was enough.

* * *

><p><strong>So taking a break from my AU, I decided to do a scene, I think could have been inserted into this episode - although it was wonderful - I just think the idea of Melissa telling Jackson herself might have saved her from the embarrassment of the next episode. Plus, TheOnceAnonymous14 told me I should watch Flight 29 Down because I'd probably get a ton of ideas - so, my dear, HINT TAKEN! Haha! Oh the joys of twitter - our conversations on there go for days! Oh and I just don't see Jackson bothering to tell her how he feels, he seemed like the kind of guy to just show her instead - thus the aggressive kissing. In any case, it led to some hot scenes! Lots of love is appreciated and returned!<strong>

**Love ya, **

**RobertDowneyJrLove**


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